DST Lesson Plan

Digital Story Unit Plan

Context:

This project is designed for a high school or college level class. This could be used in any number of classes as it is not a specific lesson plan, but a project plan that can be divided and implemented at different times.

Time:

You could do this in two weeks. Ideally, you should take at least 4 weeks to fully give the students time to make revisions.

Theme:

I teach college students or adult learners and a good way to get them comfortable with anything new whether it is technology or writing is to have them do a personal piece. I would have this center around a one of the following ideas:

Who is someone who has changed your life?

How did you become who you are today?

What is one event that shaped your life?

Who are you proud of in your family?

What is your definition of struggle?

These could be tailored depending on your content area, but I think it is best to make it an idea that is general enough to encompass everyone and specific enough so that you can keep everyone on a similar page.

Standards:

This activity when used for my class follows specifically the following IST Standards:

1. Creativity and Innovation -Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.

Students: create original works as a means of personal or group expression.

2. Communication and Collaboration -Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.

Students: communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.

3. Research and Information Fluency

Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.

Students: evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.

5. Digital Citizenship Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior.

Students: advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.

exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.

demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning.

6. Technology Operations and Concepts Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations.

Students: understand and use technology systems.

select and use applications effectively and productively.

troubleshoot systems and applications.

transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies.

These Pennsylvania Standards at the 12^th grade level are also incorporated.

Standard Area - 1.5: Quality of Writing

Grade Level - GRADE 12 ENGLISH IV

1.5.12.A:

Write with a clear focus, identifying topic, task, and audience.

1.5.12.B:

Develop content appropriate for the topic.

Gather, organize, and determine validity and reliability of information.

Employ the most effective format for purpose and audience.

1.5.12.C:

Write with controlled and/or subtle organization.

Establish coherence within and among paragraphs through effective transitions, parallel structures, and similar writing techniques.

1.5.12.D:

Write with an understanding of style using a variety of sentence structures and descriptive word choices. Create tone and voice through the use of precise language.

1.5.12.E:

Revise writing to improve style, word choice, sentence variety, and subtlety of meaning after rethinking how questions of purpose, audience, and genre have addressed.

Standard Area - 1.6: Speaking and Listening

1.6.12.A:

Listen critically and respond to others in small and large group situations.

Respond with grade level appropriate questions, ideas, information or opinions.

Standard Area - 1.7: Characteristics and Functions of the English Language

1.7.12.A: Analyze the role and place of standard American English in speech, writing, and literature. Evaluate as a reader how an author’s choice of words advances the theme or purpose of a work. Choose words appropriately, when writing, to advance the theme or purpose of a work.

Standard Area - 1.9: Information, Communication, and Technology Literacy

1.9.12.A: Use media and technology resources for research, information, analysis, problem solving, and decision making in content learning.

Goals:

To give students the opportunity to use technology to enhance their learning experience

To have students use technology to express ideas in a meaningful way

To allow students with limited English proficiency to express themselves using a variety of media

Unit Outline:

Part 1

Introduce the concept of a digital story

Go over the rubric

Go over the technology

Part 2

Parts of a good digital story

Brainstorming

Part 3

Story mapping

Part 4

Story boarding

Transitions

Part 5

Script review 1

Part 6

Script review 2

Part 7

Progress checks (to ensure that they are actually completing the project and not leaving it to the last minute.)

Part 8

Presentations

Here is the rubric that you give to the students at the beginning of the unit and it helps both you and them keep track of their progress and your expectation.

	5	4	3	2	1	0
Brainstorming					Met expectations/ turned in	Did not meet expectations/ did not turn in
Story mapping				Exceeded expectations	Met minimal expectations/ turned in	Did not meet expectations/ did not turn in
Story boarding				Exceeded expectations	Met minimal expectations/ turned in	Did not meet expectations/ did not turn in
Script review 1				Exceeded expectations	Met minimal expectations/ turned in	Did not meet expectations/ did not turn in
Script review 2				Exceeded expectations	Met minimal expectations/ turned in	Did not meet expectations/ did not turn in
Progress check				Exceeded expectations	Met minimal expectations/ turned in	Did not meet expectations/ did not turn in
Presentations					Presented	Did not present
Technology	Exceed expectation. Used in a way beyond that described	Included every component required	Included most components	Included few components	Used some technology	No technology/ No project turned in
Clear images			Good quality	Some errors	Distorted/ very poor quality	No images / Not turned in
Clear sound			Good quality	Some errors	Garbled/ very poor quality	No sound/ Not turned in
Length				Within perimeters given	Over or under by 2 min or less	Over or under by over 2 min/ not turned in
Format				Follows guidelines	Close to guidelines	Doesn't follow guidelines/ not turned in
Editing
Transitions		Excellent	Good	Poor	Bad	Not turned in
Correct sourcing (if used)					Yes	No
Grammar/ spelling	No mistakes	1-2 mistakes	2-4 mistakes	5-6 mistakes	7-10 mistakes	More than 10 mistakes/ no project
Story	Exceeds expectation. Very creative	Good story- all the parts of a story	Okay story- basic parts of a story	Poor story- missing parts of a story	Images- almost no parts of a story	No story / No project turned in
On topic				Yes	Slightly	No
Has the elements of a DS				Yes	Slightly	No

Example presentation:

 My 20% project was to do a personal story about my family that I could you to motivate my students. It works for this lesson as well. Here is the link and the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBbjLGS-vQU